2019 MXGP Of Latvia | Herlings & Cairoli Injury Updates

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INSTAGRAM | @antoniocairoli

2019 MXGP OF LATVIA | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Sunday’s motos at the 2019 MXGP of Latvia took a toll on the Red Bull KTM team, as Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli left the track at Kegums with what could be season-altering injuries. The timing of the incidents is tough for both riders, this was Herlings’ second race of the season and Cairoli is in the middle of a championship chase, and there’s another round of the 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross World Championship to run in just a week’s time.

After months on the sidelines with a serious ankle injury and rehabilitation, then a solid return to action last week at the 2019 MXGP of Russia, Jeffrey Herlings made it clear that the race in Latvia was going to be the “true start” of his year. The defending MXGP champion nabbed the win in Saturday’s qualifying moto, something that came as little surprise considering the track’s sandy soil is Herlings’ specialty, and he looked like the favorite for the day’s two motos. During the sighting lap before MXGP Moto One, Herlings made a small mistake while going over a jump, ejected from his Red Bull KTM, and was down on the landing of the tabletop. While all of that sounds bad, it was his placement on the blind landing that caused the problem and competitor Arminas Jasikonis ran over Herlings’ still sore ankle in his attempt to avoid the downed rider. Herlings managed to get up and went back to the starting line, had the team straighten his motorcycle before the gate dropped, and came out on top after an intense battle with Arnaud Tonus for the top spot. After the race, he visited the on-site medical staff and it was determined that his lower tibia had a hairline fracture. Herlings left the track for further treatment and did not race the second moto. The full extent of the damage is still unclear, but Herlings is on his way back to the Netherlands for a full evaluation and more news will be announced later in the week.

The last few rounds have been difficult for Antonio Cairoli, as crashes and mistakes have dropped the early point leader to second place in the standings. Saturday’s qualifying moto in Latvia was not ideal for the multi-time champion due to flu symptoms and lingering pain in his arm from a crash last week at the MXGP of Russia, but he pushed through to finish 12th in the qualifying moto. Things took a turn for the worse during a battle for fourth place with Arnaud Tonus MXGP Moto Two and a mistake in the high-speed sand rollers sent Cairoli into a hard crash. His right shoulder took much of the impact and dislocated, which kept him from finishing the moto.

Social media posts after the race showed Cairoli with his arm in a sling, but a quote in the team’s press release makes it sound like he intends to race the next round in Germany. “I had quite a big crash and when I stood up I felt my shoulder was out. My hope is to be ready to at least start next week in Germany,” he shared in the statement. “I don’t want to give up at all and I want to be there as much as possible for the championship.” With the DNF to title rival Tim Gajser’s win, Cairoli now trails the Team HRC rider by 33-points in the championship standings.

The press release, including quotes by Cairoli, Dirk Gruebel, and Davide De Carli, is posted in full below…

Ten years on from the FIM World Championship inauguration of the flat, fast and sandy Kegums circuit, MXGP was again present at the Latvian venue for the ninth round of the 2019 season and the halfway point of the campaign. The Grand Prix of Latvia brought the paddock back together after the long trip to Russia and in the midst of another three in a row sequence of races. Red Bull KTM arrived at Kegums – 50km south of Riga – with Jorge Prado still undefeated in the MX2 class and holding the red plate as series leader.

At the site of his first Grand Prix victory with the KTM 450 SX-F in 2017, Jeffrey Herlings picked up his first Qualification Heat triumph on Saturday for what was just his second appearance of the season. A strange crash on the Sighting Lap of the first moto on Sunday would prove to be costly. Herlings was hit by another rider: his fragile right lower leg taking the brunt of the impact. In some discomfort he produced a fantastic performance to beat Arnaud Tonus and win the race but a scan afterwards revealed a hairline fracture of the lower tibia and the Dutchman left the circuit for medical attention.

Tony Cairoli was less than 100% due to the effects of a virus and a weakened right shoulder as a consequence of his crash in the Grand Prix of Russia the previous weekend. The nine-times world champion rode to a brilliant 3rd position in the opening moto, giving Red Bull KTM two motorcycles in the top three. The Italian was unlucky to fall in the second race and sustained a dislocated right shoulder, ending his participation.

Cairoli is chasing Tim Gajser at the top of the table and is 33 points behind the Slovenian.

Tony Cairoli: “On Saturday I had the Flu and a fever, and my arm was not as strong as I wanted after the crash in Russia. I could battle with the guys for first position in the first moto but then I got a bit tired and settled for third, which was good for the championship. In the second moto I was fourth and trying to follow [Arnaud] Tonus. I had quite a big crash and when I stood up I felt my shoulder was out. My hope is to be ready to at least start next week in Germany. I don’t want to give up at all and I want to be there as much as possible for the championship.”

Davide De Carli, Assistant Team Manager: “Tony was struggling at the beginning of the weekend because of the crash in Russia. He had a problem with the nerve in the bottom of the shoulder, which affected the feeling in his right hand. He started great in the first moto and had to slow down a little bit with some pain but third was a really good result that we didn’t expect. In the second race he was gaining some positions but missed power in his arm and the crash caused his shoulder to pop put. There is no damage to the bone or the ligament so we will see if he can try to ride in Germany. We will make some checks this week. Everything is going really well for Jorge and I think he has the best momentum of his career so far. This weekend was the best level of consistency I have seen from him. He is at a really high level.”

Dirk Gruebel, MX2 Team Manager and Technical Co-ordinator: “The MX2 boys did outstanding today but MXGP started very weirdly with Jeffrey’s crash on the Sighting Lap. We had to straighten the bike and he then rode great and won the race: this was also outstanding. Afterwards we found out he had another small fracture in his leg and he was unfit to continue, so we had to call it a day. Tony went down hard in the second race and dislocated his shoulder so it was a hard ending to the day.”